historical-resistance
Past societal attempts to ban or limit new technologies, such as the Ottoman ban on printing presses or the Luddites' opposition to industrial machinery.
1 chapter across 1 book
The Coming Wave: Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma (2023)Mustafa Suleyman; Michael Bhaskar
Chapter 3, titled 'The Containment Problem,' explores the inherent unpredictability and uncontrollability of technological innovations once they enter society, emphasizing the concept of 'revenge effects' where technologies often produce unintended and sometimes harmful consequences. The chapter argues that containment—comprising technical, cultural, legal, and political mechanisms—is essential to maintain societal control over technology, though historically efforts to resist or ban new technologies have ultimately failed. It stresses that containment is a foundational, ongoing responsibility for technologists and societies to steer technology's impact in alignment with human values.